Wednesday, December 26, 2012

I tweeted about my fond memories of studying abroad in Bath, England. Back in 2003, I was still using a film camera and I have a few albums full of pictures, ticket stubs, pub coasters and pressed flowers. Someday, I'll digitize it all, but until then, here's a picture of the academic house, Nelson House, from the Advanced Studies in England website. I've already said fond in this description, but Bath is where I learned to incorporate the word into my vocabulary on the regular - so I have to proclaim my fondness for this green door in particular.

I already wrote extensively about it here and paid tribute here, so I won't belabor the point - but I LOVED the Hunger Games trilogy this year and immediately read it again straight through.

I've been focusing on my overall health - mentally, physically and emotionally - over the last year. It's the first year that I feel like I've found a balance on being committed to things. I set priorities on being at home with family, getting involved at church, volunteering for children in the foster system, and concentrating on my health. I realized that a vacation here and there wasn't enough to recharge my batteries and that I needed an ongoing plan so that I wouldn't get worn out, sick and frantic. This has been a goal since college because try as I might, every year, I got to the point of tears because I was so busy and stretched so thin. A couple of keys to my strategy this year that made the difference were ongoing counseling appointments, massage therapy, Bar Method, Arabic classes and church small group meetings. I used different combinations of these things and I need to add regular exercise back into my routine, but the focus on body, mind and soul as the priorities in my schedule made all the difference.

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About Me

I’m a Defense Consultant with a tendency towards pulling office pranks, taking lunch breaks, and drinking Wawa shakes. I’m also an English major with a serious obsession with alliteration and rhymes. While I’m not keeping America safe, I’m priming, sanding and painting. Or increasing our fresh veg intake. Or pontificating on my newly minted status as a wife. All the while, I’m getting myself into Lucille Ball-esque scrapes and making Jim Carey-esque faces. Post-wedding, I’m bringing blogging home to explore renovations, recipes, and reflections.